that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other.
Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute;
pedal five hundred on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois;
paddle a hundred in a canoe and you are already a child of nature.
‚— Pierre Trudeau —
First view of the river
Taken from a Bradley Airways DHC2 Beaver
Dumoine River,
North East of Rapides des Joachims, QC
Dumoine River,
North East of Rapides des Joachims, QC
Bradley Airways DHC2 Beaver
Dumoine River,
North East of Rapides des Joachims, QC
DHC2 Beaver leaving us in the bush
North East of Rapides des Joachims, QC
Running the rapids
North East of Rapides des Joachims, QC
Running the rapids
North East of Rapides des Joachims, QC
New Years Day on the Grand River
Cambridge ON
Another New Years Day on the Grand River
Cambridge ON
Another New Years Day on the Grand River
Cambridge ON
Another New Years Day on the Grand River
Cambridge ON
Another New Years Day on the Grand River
Cambridge ON
On the banks of the Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
The Grande Chute – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
The Grande Chute – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
The put in – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
The Grande Chute – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
Landing for a lift over – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
The lift over – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
Break time – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
Another day on the water – Ashauapmushewan River
North of Chicoutimi, QC
The. Crew – Ashauapmushewan River
McDonald River
Parry Sound, ON
McDonald River
Parry Sound, ON
McCrae Lake
Parry Sound, ON
Dawn after the bear ate our food – McCrae Lake
Parry Sound, ON
McCrae Lake
Parry Sound, ON
McCrae Lake
Parry Sound, ON
Terry Fox Memorial
On the road to Quetico
Near Thunder Bay, ON
All we saw were Bald eagles
Quetico
Atikokan, ON
All we saw were Bald eagles and moose
Quetico
Atikokan, ON
All we saw were Bald eagles and moose
Quetico
Atikokan, ON
Quetico
Atikokan, ON
Quetico
Atikokan, ON
Quetico
Atikokan, ON
Quetico
Atikokan, ON
The baggage car
On the train to the Missinabi River
Mattice, ON
Lining a canoe - Missinabi River
Mattice, ON
Missinabi River
Mattice, ON
Missinabi River
Mattice, ON
French River
French River, ON
French River
French River, ON
French River
French River, ON
French River
French River, ON
French River
French River, ON
French River
French River, ON
French River
French River, ON
Speed River cleanup
Guelph, ON
Speed River cleanup
Guelph, ON
Canoe Trips
I have many special memories of the time I have spent on the water.
For many years I joined friends for a Wednesday evening stress buster paddle on the Grand River after work. Indeed, I have paddled the Grand in all twelve months of the year. I have seen every kind of weather on the Grand from unbearable heat to temperatures so cold that the temperature was so low that water dripping from the paddle froze before it hit the river. I have even paddled through snow storms.
My longer trips have ranged from a week to ten days on the water. These trips featured weather, everything from glorious sunshine to miserable all day rain and even rain so torrential that we had to pause and bail out the canoes. The best was when the water temperature in Algonqiun Park was high enough for a warm shower in a waterfall.
But waterfalls are not the only place I have been wet ... I have to admit that there have been the occasional tippee canoe events – I even rolled a canoe in a snow storm. (In case you are wondering if I am totally nuts, the number one rule when paddling cold water is a wet or dry suit.) I can assure you dumbing in warm water is better but not dumping is best of all.
I have had many interesting visitors to my campsites from a chipmunk who bit me to Yogi Bear breakfasting in my picnic basket. (By the way the bear ate all the good stuff and spit out the rice cakes – no photos and who says I can’t run fast.) That trip was the one where I forgot the tent. What can I say nobody is perfect.
I have paddled many different rivers and lakes (usually staying away from the designated park areas. This list includes some of the l river and lake journeys I have taken (the links are usually to the nearest park.) …
At one point the De Havilland DHC-2 was the aircraft I had flown most frequently. Yes, I have done the fly in trips where my canoe was tied to the pontoon of a Beaver.
I could go on and on but I will let the photos speak for me.
